Container transfer means for slotted beam type conveyors

Claim 2

Means for receiving upright containers from a conveyor of the type which is formed of a continuous succession of transversely extending regularly slotted carrier beams and which includes a horizontal operating pass and a lower paralleling return pass, comprising a multiplicity of elongate, parallel extending fingerlike elements arranged longitudinally of the conveyor along the downstream end thereof as regards the direction of container movement, certain of the elements longer than the others and having free inner end portions extending inwardly over and angularly downwardly towards the conveyor in the operating pass thereof and terminating in the plane of such pass in positions to engage within the slotted portions of the successive carrier beams as the latter complete an operating pass whereby to effect an initial lifting of such containers as are on the beams from the latter, and with other and shorter of the elements having free inner end portions extending inwardly over and angularly downwardly towards the conveyor in the operating pass thereof in a coincident plane with that of the inner free end portions of the first-mentioned fingers and terminating in a plane just above the operating pass of the conveyor and in positions which are downstream of the ends of the first-mentioned fingers whereby to cooperate with the latter in effecting final lifting of the containers from the beams.

Claim 3

The construction of claim 1 in which each of the first-mentioned fingerlike elements is located between a pair of the second-mentioned fingerlike elements.

Claim 4

The construction of claim 1 in which the terminals of the inner free end portions of the second mentioned fingerlike elements are enlarged laterally to the longitudinal axis thereof whereby to afford added support to the containers as the latter lift off the beams and move onto the fingerlike elements.

Claim 5

The construction of claim 1 wherein the fingerlike elements are spaced uniformly with respect to one another laterally of the conveyor to form an assembly whose lateral dimension is substantially equal that of the conveyor and wherein the first and second-mentioned elements are alternated with one another in such assembly.

Claim 6

Means for effecting the removal of upright containers from a horizontally extending conveyor which is formed of a continuous succession of regularly slotted, transversely extending carrier beams, comprising a series of elongated, angular fingerlike elements arranged in parallelism, planar relation with one another longitudinally of the downstream end of the conveyor as regards the direction of container movement, with a first series of the elements being aligned with the slotted portions of the carrier beams and having free inner end portions extending over and angularly downwardly toward the end of the conveyor and terminating in the plane of the conveyor in positions to engage within the slotted portions of the beams in the end of the conveyor so as to engage under and effect a stripping of such containers as are supported on any particular carrier beam as the later moves through the end of the conveyor, and with a second series of the elements being aligned with the nonslotted portions of the carrier beams and having free inner end portions extending over and angularly downwardly the end of the conveyor in planar relation to the inner end portions of the first series of elements and terminating downstream of the inner end portions just above the plane of the conveyor so as to engage under and complete the stripping from the carrier beams of the containers after the latter have commenced to move off the beams by the action of the first series of elements.

Claim 7

Means for effecting the removal of upright containers from a horizontally extending conveyor which is formed of a continuous succession of regularly slotted, transversely extending carrier beams, comprising a series of elongated, angular fingerlike elements arranged in parallelism, planar relation with one another longitudinally of the downstream end of the conveyor as regards the direction of container movement, with a first series of the elements being aligned with the slotted portions of the carrier beams and having free inner end portions extending over and angularly downwardly toward the end of the conveyor and terminating in the plane of the conveyor in positions to engage within the slotted portions of the beams in the end of the conveyor so as to engage under and effect a stripping of such containers as are supported on any particular carrier beam as the later moves through the end of the conveyor, and with a second series of the elements being aligned with the nonslotted portions of the carrier beams and having free inner end portions extending over and angularly downwardly the end of the conveyor in planar relation to the inner end portions of the first series of elements and terminating downstream of the inner end portions just above the plane of the conveyor so as to engage under and complete the stripping from the carrier beams of the containers after the latter have commenced to move off the beams by the action of the first series of elements.

Claim 8

The construction of claim 5 wherein the inner free end portions of the first series of fingerlike elements in engaging within the slotted portions of the carrier beams extend to a plane which is substantially coincident with the plane containing the nonslotted portions of the beams so as to enable the containers to pass from the beams onto the first series of elements without interference from the inner extremities of such elements and wherein the inner free end portions of the second series of fingerlike elements extend to a plane which is substantially coincident with the plane containing the corresponding portions of the first series of fingerlike elements to permit the containers to pass onto the second series of fingerlike elements from the first series thereof without interference from the inner extremities of the second series of fingerlike elements.

Claim 9

The construction of claim 5 in which groups of adjacent of the fingerlike elements are connected together as an assembly by tie rods extending transversely of the elements and wherein the assemblies have a vertically bored support bracket associated therewith and include at least a pair of elements the outer end of which has a downwardly turned hooklike portion having a limited projection within a corresponding one of the vertically bored portions of said support bracket to locate the elements longitudinally of the conveyor, the fingerlike elements being otherwise free of constraint against longitudinal movement from the conveyor and the projection of the hooklike portions in the bracket openings being such as to free any such assembly of fingerlike elements from said support bracket in the event of interference between a carrier beam and any one or more of the fingerlike elements of such assembly.